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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. content — happy
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — certain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pop — music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com